


The Worst Hostage

by Blazen



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-14 04:17:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2177565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blazen/pseuds/Blazen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if on the Day of the Black Sun, as Azula was delaying Team Avatar, one of her jumps proved to be unlucky. Now Avatar and friends have to guard a prisoner none of them even wanted to take in the first place. What is Fire Lord going to do? What about Zuko? And what does it have to do with Sokka's pounding head?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day Of The Black Sun

OOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOO

Losing her firebending, even if just for a few minites, was unfortunate, but she was managing just fine, as she always did. In fact, she was doing much better than she predicted, considering how heavily she relied on her superior bending power before. It was a good thing she did not order Ty Lee and Mai to be here. There was nothing any of them could do better than her, and in such close quarters they would only get in the way.

She dived and dodged, again and again proving herself faster and more agile than the Avatar, supposed airbending master, simultaneously keeping the pesky earthbender in the corner of her eye. So far her Dai Li agents proved useful in containing and counteracting her enemies earthbending, which made the 'fight' almost too easy for her.

She had to give it to Long Feng, every one of his (now hers) agents had undergone rigorous training and even with their moderate bending power and intelligence once given a clear goal they worked effectively to reach it. Just like now, as one of them created a stone pillar under her feet to give her enough momentum to yet again evade the Avatar's pitiful attacks by jumping through the convenient hole in the wall.

Suddenly a body appeared in her way, the water peasant apparently, not a threat, but he was in her way, his body blocking the passage, and she had to do something. But she had no fire to slow herself in the air, and he met her head on and the last thing she remembered was a splitting pain in her head and then darkness.

OOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOO

Sokka was climbing a wall. It was no big deal that he proved useless in the fight so far while his friends had their hands full with Azula who was holding her own despite having no bending either right now.

But Sokka was a warrior of the Southern Water Tribe and he was not going to stand around doing nothing. The least he could do was to find a good vantage point and maybe catch Azula unawares at the right moment. Right, like that was ever going to happen.

Just as he finally reached the hole in the wall and pulled himself up, there she was – Azula – heading straight to him. His first instinct was to dodge, but he was a warrior and she was the enemy, not just any girl. So he stilled himself and did the only sensible thing – braced himself against uneven edges of the hole and smiled grimly at growing alarm in the princess' amber eyes. And then his head exploded.

In what felt like hours he found himself lying on and being jolted by a very rough stone surface which made his pounding headache – like nothing he ever felt before – even worse. Opening his eyes by supreme amount of willpower, he rolled off the stone, got on all fours and retched.

Finally, his stomach had no more to give, so he looked up and squinted. There was Toph looking very concerned and Aang looking miserable. Moving his head to the right he also noticed Azula lying on a bed of stone. It explained the new pain in his back which went unnoticed until now, overshadowed by the badger-moles burrowing inside his head. It seemed Azula had it worse, as she showed no sign of waking up and had a trickle of blood running through her hair.

Well, at least his head was good for something, considering what a failure the Plan was shaping up to be. As he turned to his friends again, Aang averted his eyes and Sokka felt his insides drop. Toph on the other hand, went to him and pulled him up to sit on his own stone bed.

"Eclipse has ended, Sokka", she said patting him on the shoulder, not even bothering with nicknames. "We were too late and there was no way to find the Fire Lord in time."

"I'm sorry, Aang", said Sokka even though every word felt like a club hitting his brain. Aang looked sharply at him – when did the kid learn to do that – but then his gaze softened and he shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Sokka", he sighed. "Azula wouldn't have told us anything anyway, and now at least we have her as a hostage."

"Really?" asked Sokka, sounding skeptical. He was moving now, following his friends with slow, stumbling steps, but at least he fared better than Azula who was being dragged by Toph encased almost fully in stone leaving only her face out. "Do you really think we can hold Azula prisoner?"

"We have to try", shouted Aang, running in front on them. "It's our best chance!"

As they approached the thick metal doors to the bunker, Sokka motioned for Toph to stop knowing she would feel it. After his brief explanation using as few words as possible, Toph smiled and freeing Azula from the stone, bound her hands and feet in iron instead. She would cover her mouth too, but at the last moment Sokka noticed that the princess' nose was clogged with drying blood, so they had to risk it for now. It was not ideal for containing Azula, even hurt and unconscious, but at least it will allow them all to get onto Appa.

OOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOO

Even after the airships appeared, Katara still had hope. After all, if Aang was able to defeat the Fire Lord, they all had a chance to retreat and come back later in full force. She wasn't as keen to fight as some of her father's men, but she knew she'd have to, if only to keep her family and friends safe. But she was frustrated to say the least, because it felt like they hadn't accomplished anything today.

Finally, she noticed Appa in the sky and pointed him out to the men around her. After the great bison landed heavily, Aang jumped off his back and bowed his head silently in response to her questioning gaze. She turned her head and noticed that Toph created a pillar and was helping swaying Sokka to step onto it.

"Sokka!" she shouted running up to him. "Are you hurt?". Father approached too, looking concerned, while Bato and other men were grumbling, disappointed in what could be seen as their collective failure.

Sokka covered his ears, moaning in pain and Toph shushed her angrily. Then the little earthbender had to support him as he bent over and started to dry heave.

"He got hit in the head, badly", explained Aang.

"By what?" asked one of the men she wasn't familiar with. He was obviously unimpressed by her brother.

"By this!" shouted Toph as she suddenly bent something out of Appa's saddle, revealing Azula, knocked out and bound in metal.

Katara gasped, but quickly turned to Sokka, bending some water around his head and focusing all her energy on getting him better.

OOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOOSokkaoooisooonotoooaooocomicoooreliefOOO

"When our only choice is to stay and fight! We have the Avatar and the princess, we can still win," said Sokka, sounding resolute, despite barely managing to keep upright. Hakoda was never more proud of his son, both of his children, who grew up so much without him noticing, without him being there.

"You are right, we could still win, another day," he answered. It was an easy decision when his children's lives were on the line. "You all have to escape on Appa together."

"What?" shouted Katara. "We can't leave you behind! We won't leave anyone behind."

"You are our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only chance to keep hope alive," he said. It was true, even if not the main reason he wanted them to escape.

"The youngest of our group should go with you," said Bato. "The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."

Hakoda could always count on his friend, even when he needed someone to lie to his children instead of him. His people seldom took prisoners and few of those survived for long. He had no reason to expect the enemy to have more mercy.

"Then what do we do with her? Why can't we use her to get us all out of here?" asked Toph, kicking the unconscious fire princess on the ground.

He gave it some thought and could see the same conclusion in Bato's and Sokka's eyes.

"We could, but not in the heat of the battle. You have to take her with you. We know that Fire Lord values his daughter more than his son, so she will make a useful hostage."

"If we can hold her, that is," said Sokka grimly.

"Well, can you?" asked Bato. "Think fast, we don't have much time! If not, we can just-" he stopped himself in time as Hakoda shook his head. He did not want to kill a prisoner in cold blood, not in front of his children.

"I can hold her forever, if she doesn't mind being a little uncomfortable," boasted Toph. But he noticed that her unseeing eyes turned to Aang, just as everyone's did.

"Between all of us, she won't give us any trouble," said the boy. Despite his words, he sounded bitter. "We have to take her or this whole battle would've been for nothing."

He left with Toph and their cargo to board the bison with the rest of the kids. Hakoda turned to his children.

"We've lost today, but we've never been this close. We tasted victory and that counts for something!" He embraced them both, hoping it would not be the last time.

As Appa disappeared in the clouds, they turned away from the beach to face whatever lay ahead.

TBC


	2. Day Of The Black Sun, aftermath

OOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOO

Mai had been summoned before the Fire Lord after she found Zuko's note, just as she was preparing to rage, scream and cut drapes with a knife, all in the privacy of her room of course.

Despite her father's position and later her own as Azula's reluctant minion, she had never been important enough to warrant a personal audience with the Fire Lord. However, such summons were not to be ignored, so she was headed for the throne room, all perfect posture and impassive face, hiding her feelings deep within her mind.

She had no doubt she would be questioned, either about Zuko or Azula or maybe both. She destroyed the hated note, even though Zuko probably intended for it to absolve her of any crime of treason by association. As for Azula, she didn't know what to make of her sudden disappearance. She was much more concerned about Ty Lee who she hadn't been able to contact since the start of the invasion.

Covertly taking a deep breath, she stepped through the doors opened for her by royal guards and went to kneel before the wall of fire.

"Rise!" she heard, and the fire was extinguished.

Mai held in the gasp but couldn't help her mask slipping as she saw Ty Lee next to the throne, limp and bruised, being held up by a couple of guards. She turned away from her friend's unfocused eyes and locked gaze with the Fire Lord instead.

"You want to ask me something, lady Mai?" Ozai's voice was serious, not even mocking. Mai knew what happened when someone spoke their mind in Fire Lord's presence.

"No, Fire Lord. I only wish to know what is it you require of me."

"Ah, yes." Ozai stroked his beard, almost absently. "Had former prince Zuko informed you of his decision to betray us all before he left?"

"No, Fire Lord. I was not aware of his plans." In the corner of her eye she could see Ty Lee shaking.

"Just as I thought. Otherwise you would be in much worse position," Ozai said, inclining his head slightly to indicate Ty Lee.

Mai's face hardened beyond her usual mask of boredom. She knew that Ty Lee was incapable of betraying Azula, so there had to be another reason for Ozai's actions.

"You see, lady Mai," continued the man, his voice rising. "Princess Azula was captured by the Avatar. Because this spawn of an airbender failed in her duties. And so did you!"

Mai flinched. Ty Lee had some airbender blood in her and it seemed that without Azula's patronage it was reason enough to warrant such treatment. But it could not be the only reason. And then it registered with her: Azula was captured! Impossible, but undeniably true. But then...

"Princess Azula ordered us both to evacuate with everyone else!" Mai objected, and immediately regretted it. Ozai leaned forward to stare directly at her.

"Do you think it matters to me, girl?!" He sat back again and continued in much calmer tone.

"And now we come to the reason for your presence here, Mai. Traitor Zuko announced his intention to join the Avatar. He stole a war balloon and followed Avatar's beast. They are headed to the ruins of the western air temple, where they hope to hide. You will follow them, and use Zuko's weakness for you to gain their trust. "

"And what do I do then, Fire Lord?" Mai asked, trying to bury her fear and fury as deep as possible.

"You will free Princess Azula. You will kill everyone else except for Zuko and the Avatar. I will deal with both of them myself. And you will pass along my orders for Azula to return to the Fire Nation immediately. You have until a week before Sozin's Comet, or she dies."

Her head was reeling. She understood both the enormity of the task and the reason she was chosen for it. Ozai was clever, not giving her a choice between Zuko's life and Ty Lee's. She could bear betraying Zuko's trust - he broke her heart first after all - but she could not stand to have Ty Lee's blood on her hands.

"Now go, lady Mai, and fulfil your duty!"

Despite wanting to be as far from there as possible, she couldn't help but make one last request. "May I bid my farewell to lady Ty Lee?"

Ozai smirked. "You may, but be quick about it." He motioned to the guards to release the acrobat. She fell to the floor, not able to stand on her own.

Mai ran to her side and kneeled. Ty Lee's lips were moving and she leaned in to listen as her friend struggled to form words.

"...Mai.. save 'Zula... don't... come back... both of you...promise..."

"Enough!" Ozai shouted and the guards immediately picked Ty Lee up and carried her away. Mai had to force her hands away from her sleeves. She had been searched before being allowed to enter, and she was not foolish enough to take her knives here in the first place.

"Now, girl, I have one last word for you."

"Yes, Fire Lord" Mai answered through gritted teeth.

"Come closer."

She did, even though she knew what was coming next. Just as she approached Ozai, he sprang from his throne and backhanded her viciously. She was able to move with it, but not fast enough - she still found herself on the floor with her cheek stinging sharply.

"You should be grateful, girl! Now Zuko will have no choice but to trust you!"

Mai knew he was right. As she rose to her feet with as much grace as possible, she could feel her skin peeling away. It was not as bad as Zuko's burn was, but it will leave its mark all the same. She bowed, her wounded pride screaming at her, and then she left.

After her servants finished bandaging her burned face, she went to her room where she raged, screamed and cut her drapes with a knife. Then she started packing. It was going to be a long journey.

OOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOOAzulaoooisooonotoooaooomonsterOOO

Hakoda was hanging in his shackles not able to move a muscle. His whole body went numb a long time ago. His last memory was of the enemies taking Bato away, never to return. Now he was the last warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. He and Sokka. He should not forget about his children. They were everything, and they were safe. It did not matter what happened to him anymore.

TBC


	3. Falling Deeper

OOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOO

At first Toph wasn't sure what woke her up. She usually hated flying, but she had been quite content taking a nap leaning against Sokka while keeping half an ear on princess' heartbeat for any signs of her awakening.

Ah, so that's what interrupted her sleep. The girl's heart was beating much faster as if trying to get out of her chest and her limbs were starting to tremble. Toph shook herself awake which got her a pained groan from Sokka. She couldn't feel any of the others very well so she had to hope someone else was awake.

"Hey!" she yelled, "I think princess Crazy is waking up!" Now the girl's whole body was shaking and Toph had to bend the iron around Azula a little to prevent her from falling off Appa. "No wait, I think she may be dying!"

"Shit," she heard from Sokka, and she felt Appa begin to descend.

"We may as well land for now," said Aang who apparently was steering. "Appa can't carry us all much longer." That got others grumbling. No one wanted to land so soon when they might have half of Fire Nation chasing after them.

It was good to feel solid earth under her feet again, even though she was going to miss Sokka's solid chest under her back. She got the princess out of Appa's saddle and felt Katara setting down next to her. She heard Katara gasp and Sokka curse again as Azula's convulsions were getting worse.

"What's wrong with her, Sugar Queen?" she asked.

"I don't know!" shouted Katara, her own heartbeat picking up. She was trying to bend some water around Azula's head, but it wasn't making her better.

Toph listened to the girl's body some more. It was hard to feel someone dying, even if she was the enemy and almost killed Aang.

"Katara, I think she is choking!"

Immediately, Katara cleared Azula's nose and throat, causing others to flinch as what Toph guessed was spray of blood splashed on the ground. She felt Haru covering Duke's eyes. Sokka cursed again and groaned. She knew he was still in pain himself, although he was hiding it well from others. Usually Sokka would be first to complain, but now he clearly had other things on his mind.

"Come on, Katara, you are usually good at healing!" pleaded Sokka. "It's not like I want my head to become a murder weapon!"

"It's not murder if she is the enemy," squeaked Duke.

"You shouldn't talk like that," admonished Teo.

"It doesn't matter if she is the enemy," said Haru. "We could've taken my dad with us instead of her. Or Teo's father. Or yours," he turned to Sokka and Katara. "So we can't let her die or it was all for nothing."

"Shut up!" screamed Katara as the waterflow around Azula's head was disrupted and soaked the ground. It felt like Sugar Queen was going to blow up any moment.

Sokka suddenly approached Haru, Teo and Duke, putting himself between them and Katara. "Hey guys! Why don't we go ahead and leave Katara to do her job. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it if we don't distract her."

They weren't happy about it, but they complied, leaving the three of them with the princess and Appa. Toph bent a deep hole in the earth were she could hear some flow. Katara took a breath and used the new source of water to surround Azula's head again.

After some minutes she seemed to give up and let the water flow back into the well.

"I can't heal her," she admitted, bowing her head.

"Why?" asked Aang kneeling next to her and tentatively putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You see, I'm not a real healer," said Katara to everyone's surprise.

"Come on," Toph shook her head. "I saw you heal people. You are good at it."

"No, you don't understand. When we came to the Northen Water Tribe I wanted to learn real waterbending. But master Pakku said he won't teach it to a girl, that we are only good for healing," Katara sighed. "So I gave it a shot and went to a healing class. You remember Yugoda, right Aang? Anyway, next day I fought master Pakku and he agreed to teach me. So I never returned to Yugoda's class."

"But you are a great healer anyway!" protested Aang.

"That's what I'm talking about. You see, Yugoda told me that day that to be a good healer I have to feel compassion for all leaving things. But I hate Azula. I don't really want her to die, but I don't want her to get better either," admitted Katara.

"Toph," suddenly asked Aang. "Do you think she is dying right now?"

Toph listened and shrugged. "I don't think so, no. Getting her breath back probably helped. But her heart sounds weaker now."

Aang turned to Katara again. "Listen, I know what you are going through. As the Avatar I have to help the whole world, even people I don't like. I think you need to meditate and find your inner peace. Monk Gyatso taught me that. Don't think about what Azula did to us, think about her as... as a small child! Like you are watching her first steps or something..." the boy trailed off.

"If you say I have to pretend to be her mother, I'm going to be sick," warned Katara, but sighed and got into a position to meditate. Aang sat in front of her and took her hands in his.

"It may take a while," he said to Toph.

"Alright, I'll watch over you, I guess. Hope others will wait for us."

Toph sat down too and waited.

OOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOOUrsaooowasooonoooosaintOOO

'Azula'

'Azula!'

'Azula, you have to wake up!'

Azula opened her eyes and moaned. She had such a good dream - Father was finally going to get rid of Zuko and she'd have the whole palace to herself. Suddenly, she remembered. It was not a dream - it was true. But who would wake her up in the middle of the night?

She turned her head and saw Mother sitting on her bed. The woman sighed and turned to her. Mother's eyes were very sad, and Azula didn't know what to say.

"I came to say goodbye, Azula. I made sure Zuko is safe, but I can't stay here anymore."

Azula sat on her bed and looked at Mother with wide eyes. So Zuko will continue to annoy her. Oh well. But something else was wrong, and she didn't know what.

"Why did you come to me? What about Zuko?"

Mother smiled and put her hand on Azula's cheek.

"Zuko can wait. But you and I, we are going to have a talk. It's long overdue, I think."

It still felt wrong, but Azula couldn't help but nod.

TBC


	4. Interwined

OOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOO

Hakoda heard a sharp whistle and then felt someone poking his back. So he could feel his back again, huh. He wanted the numbness back.

"They did a number on you, you know," said a high-pitched voice above him. "And here I thought I got it bad."

He opened his eyes to see a pair of small feet in dirty slippers. One ankle had a metal ring around it with a chain attached. He did not try to turn around and see the rest of the girl. He wasn't sure he could manage it anyway.

"Are you a pirate?" asked the girl, now poking his ribs. "I'm sure I heard someone call you a pirate. Though I'm not sure why would they put a pirate in the same cell as me. Maybe Firelord thinks it's funny," she chuckled without any real mirth.

"I'm not a pirate," answered Hakoda, his voice raspy and weak.

"You don't seem like a pirate," agreed the girl. "Pirates are supposed to be exciting. You look boring."

"Water..." he finally had to ask.

"What? Are you telling me you are from water tribes or are you asking for water?"

Hakoda groaned, then said "Both."

He was rewarded with a real laughter this time.

"You are funny," said the girl standing up. "Water tribe asking for water. It's going to make a great joke to tell my friends later. Here, you have to raise your head a little."

Hakoda managed to drink from a small metal cup she offered without spilling too much. The girl continued softly, "If I ever see my friends again anyway."

OOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOO

Azula chucked another stone in the pond and watched little turtle-ducks dashing away. She glanced at Mother who smiled at her indulgently. Azula smiled back and picked up another stone. When she frowned.

"You just came to my room and it was night. How come we are here now and it's day?" she asked Mother. "And you told me you had to leave!"

"Don't worry about it, Azula. The morning came, you got up and we came here, don't you remember?"

Yes, now Azula did remember it.

"As for leaving, I decided to stay for awhile. How can I leave you when you need me so much?"

At this Azula scowled. "I don't need you! I'm all grown up now! I don't need anyone!"

Mother came and knelt before her.

"Of course you need me. Everyone needs their mother sometimes."

Azula's lip quivered. "When why did you leave me?"

"I never left you, my dear," answered Mother hugging her. "And I never will."

OOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOO

Mai had to stop her eel-hound and make a camp near the coast line. Her mount would be able to cross the strait with little trouble, but it needed to rest first. She wouldn't get to the temple before either Zuko or the Avatar, but she might get there before Zuko revealed himself to the group. If only she was able to speak to Zuko first, then... Then what? Nothing. Zuko ran away and abandoned her to face the consequences. She would never trust him again.

She did not try to send a message to her uncle from the capital, and certainly not to her father. She had no access to messenger hawks and any servant loyal to her would not make it past the gates. She could probably abandon both Ty Lee and Azula and try to reach her family, but she had to admit – the Fire Lord surely had longer reach and a lot of informants. She had to hope her family was safe for now and try to contact them when she had the means.

She woke up to the sound of a twig breaking and immediately threw a knife in the direction of the sound. She heard a dull clunk, the telltale sign of a blade hitting a stone wall.

She sprung to her feet and waited. No need to waste her projectiles on an earthbender who had an advantage. If he wanted to kill or capture her he had the opportunity earlier, so he probably wanted to talk.

"Lady Mai." The speaker was a man, and a familiar one. She relaxed slightly.

"Agent Wil, what do you want?"

"We want to assist you with your mission," said another voice to the left.

"Agent Du," she acknowledged. "You both are still loyal to princess Azula?"

"Yes," both of them answered in unison.

"How do you know about my mission? And what do you have to offer me, aside from interrupting my rest?" asked Mai, sitting down and picking up an apple from her supplies. If she couldn't sleep she may as well eat.

The agents came to the clearing, both dressed in unassuming Fire Nation garb. They bowed.

"Information," said Du, answering both of her questions.

It turned out earthbender spies were the best when it came to stone buildings. And Fire Lord surely liked the sound of his own voice, because he talked to himself a lot.

OOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOOMaioooisoooneveroooboringOOO

The water swirling around Azula's head finally started to glow. It faded after a few minutes and Katara slumped tiredly, but the princess' breathing became somehow easier and some color returned to her cheeks. She showed no signs of waking up though, so Aang felt it safe enough to ask Toph to rearrange the metal bindings into a more comfortable position.

He helped Katara onto Appa, then helped Toph to move Azula and then the great bison rose up and flew north so they could catch up to Sokka and the guys.

TBC


	5. Family Ties

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or dialogue from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I don't make any profit from writing this story.**

OOOTyoooleeoooisooonotooosoooostupidOOOTyoooleeoooisooonotooosoooostupidOOOTyoooleeoooisooonotooosoooostupidOOO

Father seemed distant lately. He seldom spoke to her outside of firebending lessons and more than once she had to practice on her own when he claimed to be busy. She refused to let any of the royal firebenders near her, they would only hinder her progress, and even Zuzu was never to be found when she needed someone to practice on.

Mother always came to watch her though and her smile and encouraging words were helpful, even if Azula would never admit it to anyone. It was Mother she missed the most while she was away at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Mother, who was raised by peasants, could never tolerate ladies of the court and the two of them spent endless hours in Azula's room mocking their inane chatter and trivial ambitions.

Ty Lee and Mai were alright though. All the other girls tried to get on her good side at first, until she taught them better. She would not let anyone use her to elevate their family, not that Father would ever be influenced by someone's child being her 'friend'.

Ty Lee, on the other hand, was friendly with everyone even though most students and teachers despised her obviously flawed heritage. It was easy to deal with anyone who dared to taunt the girl. They should have asked Azula's permission first after all.

Mai always seemed indifferent and never approached anyone, not even Azula. While Ty Lee showed her proper respect ever since that first day, Mai was impertinent and had to be taught a lesson like the others. But the girl never made a sound and never showed anyone her burn afterwards only letting Ty Lee wrap it up, so Azula let her join their group too.

But her Academy days were over and now she and Zuko were having another firebending lesson with Father. He had them doing the same katas in perfect sync over and over again. It was strange experience for Azula but to her surprise Zuzu kept up and his orange flames burned as brightly as her blue ones did. Finally, father made a motion for them to stop and they finished perfectly with a spin, crouch and a long burst of fire. Father's face was impassive.

"You may go, Azula," he said. "Prince Zuko, your lesson is not over."

Zuko bowed and stepped aside to let Azula pass. She hesitated.

"May I stay, Father?"

"No." Father's voice held hidden warning. Azula bowed too, keeping her anger and disappointment inside, and retreated. Everything had changed. How could Father choose Zuko over her? She was better, smarter and more powerful than her brother.

Maybe Mother would have the answer. She was the only one Azula could trust now.

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Ty Lee tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't because her cot was uncomfortable – it was, but she slept on worse. It wasn't because of the pain in her chained leg and the rest of her body – she knew how to deal with pain. It wasn't even because of the water tribe man they put in her cell. He turned out to be alright – despite all the stories she heard about his kind, all savages, murderers and rapists, according to her sister. He never told her his name, but she didn't expect him to. He looked a lot like the cute guy who traveled with the Avatar, but much older. She didn't tell him her name either – no reason to risk it in case he heard about her.

But how could she sleep in this cage? It was so small, barely three steps across and the ceiling would not even allow her to jump without hitting her head. There was no window to let sunlight in, the air was stale and the food was terrible. She couldn't stay here for long – she would go mad!

She so hoped Mai would be able to do something. She remembered seeing her in the throne room earlier, but not much else. She was weak and delirious at the time. She probably said something stupid because she could remember Mai looking scared. She also thought she heard Fire Lord saying something about getting rid of Azula, but it was probably her imagination. Everyone knew Azula was the crown princess and it's not like Fire Lord had any more children to spare. She didn't know if Azula would try to free her though when she returned. So far princess had never argued with her father.

Ty Lee sighed. She hoped her family was alright at least. Most times they managed to forget she ever existed and that was fine with her. But last she heard her father went missing somewhere in the colonies and she didn't get the chance to visit and find out how everyone else was doing.

She almost fell asleep when suddenly the lock started rattling. The door opened to reveal a young woman in an officer's uniform who was flanked by two men – soldiers, not prison guards. The woman had short brown hair, thin lips and a menacing looking eye-patch. Ty Lee's eyes widened and she scrambled away from the door until her back met a wall.

The woman stepped into their cell and sneered down on the water tribe man who was already awake. The man rose to his feet and looked calmly at the officer. Her eye narrowed and Ty Lee tried to squeak a warning, but she was too late – the woman suddenly threw a fist engulfed by fire in the man's face. He was able to dodge the punch but not the kick that followed. He hit a wall and lay there breathing heavily. Ty Lee winced in sympathy – his back was probably killing him right now, as it didn't have time to heal properly.

"Question him and then take him to the infirmary," ordered the woman. "Fire Lord wants him alive for now." The soldiers bowed and dragged her cell mate away.

The woman closed the door and motioned for Ty Lee to stand. She did so, cautiously. She didn't know what to expect.

"Oh, you are in so much trouble, little monkey," said Toshi and opened her arms. Ty Lee darted forward and clung to her sister with all her strength, feeling tears in her eyes. It was the first time Tosh hugged her since she was a baby and it felt wonderful.

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**A/N: Yes, I'm changing some things about Ty Lee's family, even though we don't know much about them to begin with. Come on, there can't be six sisters who are exactly alike.**


End file.
